Friday

Speaking to newsmen on Wednesday after
the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting at the presidential villa,
Abuja, the Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh, disclosed that the
President Buhari administration had revived the e-wallet system for
fertiliser allocation and distribution, a year after suspending it.

According to Premium Times,
the minister who made the announcement said the policy would however be
modified to address the challenges that made it unsustainable.

At the meeting, which held as the National Bureau of Statistics
confirmed the nation was in recession, the government also approved a
borrowing plan and solid minerals initiatives to stimulate the economy.

But the decision to restart the e-wallet fertilizer scheme
represented another economic policy reversal by the Buhari
administration, which had earlier dumped the initiative.

The e-wallet system was part of the Growth Enhancement Support
scheme introduced by former President Goodluck Jonathan's administration
to address the menace of middlemen in the fertiliser supply chain,
which experts identified as a challenge for farmers at the time.

The policy, seen as one of the few successes of the administration,
ensured the registration of about 4.2 million farmers within its first
year.

More than 10 million were said to have been registered at the height of its implementation.

Akin Adesina, who served as Minister of Agriculture between
2010-2015, when the scheme was initiated, said its success contributed
to his elevation to the African Development Bank where he is now the
president.

The policy was however suspended by the Buhari government in 2015.

The Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh, cited accumulated debts to
fertiliser and seed companies as well as corrupt practices that had
contributed in making it costly and unsustainable.